PUTTING THE METAL IN YOUR FACE
Megaforce Records. The Zazulas. Anyone who knows their thrash knows who Megaforce Records and Jonny and Marsha Z are and how critically important they are to the birth of thrash metal.
JOIN US as we discuss the lore of Megaforce Records and some of the most important thrash bands and albums released on the Megaforce roster that makes it THE most important record label in all of thrash metal.
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Megaforce Records was originally founded in 1982 by Jon and Marsha Zazula to release Metallica’s first album Kill ‘Em All. At the time Jon owned the Rock’n Roll Heaven record store in New Jersey where he would play tapes by unsigned bands. In late 1982 he got a demo tape from the then unsigned Metallica. This was the tape was what prompted him to form Megaforce Records, convinced that Metallica should be unleashed upon the unsuspecting masses. Since then Megaforce has brought much Metal goodness to the world including Anthrax, Overkill, Testament, Vio-lence and others. They’ve also released albums by many artists that you wouldn’t expect from a label that primarily focuses on Metal. These include Bjork, Cyndi Lauper, Hank Williams III, Warren Haynes and The Black Crowes. The label’s corporate office is in New York City and there is also an office in Philadelphia. The label has had many different distributors over the years. These include Independent (1982-1985), Atlantic Records (1985-1991), Island Records (1985-1991), Discos CBS (1991-1992), Epic Records (1992-1993), ARC (1993-2000), RED Distribution (since 2000), Sony Music (since 1993).
A couple of the labels earliest bands would go on to form The Big 4, Metallica and Anthrax. They released Metallica’s first two albums, Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning. They also released Anthrax’s first five albums and most recently the last two albums. They’ve also released albums from Thrash titans Overkill, Testament, and Vio-lence. Other releases include Mercyful Fate, Manowar, Raven, Venom, S.O.D., M.O.D., Ace Frehley, King’s X, Exciter, Lucy Brown, Mindfunk, Fozzy, Clutch, Ministry, Nile, Bad Brains, Prong, Danzig, Living Colour, Pearl (Scott Ian’s wife), Skid Row, and the Meat Puppets. Some interesting non metal acts that have released albums on the label include The Black Crowes, Cyndi Lauper, Bjork, Hank Williams III, They Might Be Giants, Warren Haynes, Revolting Cocks , Wyclef Jean, Fuel and Johnny Winter.
SOME EARLY RELEASE EYE CANDY
Released 8-8-1983
Track Listing:
Jump in the Fire
Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)
Whiplash
Seek and Destroy
Phantom Lord
Released 8-1983
Track Listing:
Take Control - Mind Over Metal
Sledgehammer Rock - All for One
Run Silent, Run Deep - Hung, Drawn and Quartered
Break the Chain - Take it Away
Seek and Destroy - Athletic Rock
Released 10-30-1983
Track Listing:
Evil - Curse of the Pharaohs
Into the Coven - At the Sound of the Demon Bell
Black Funeral - Satan’s Fall
Melissa
Released 7-1-1983
LP Track Listing:
Warlord - Secret of Steel
Gloves of Metal - Gates of Valhalla
Hatred - Revelation (Death’s Angel)
March for Revenge (By the Soldiers of Death)
Released 11-1983
Track Listing:
Soldiers of Metal - Howling Furies
Released 6-12-1984
Track Listing:
Nightmares - Summertime Blues
Ride with Me - Girl Next Door
Babylon - Heart of the City
Out of Focus - Parchment Farm
Released 10-15-1985
Track Listing:
Raise the Dead - Rotten to the Core
There’s No Tomorrow - Second Son
Hammerhead - Feel the Fire
Blood and Iron - Kill at Command
Overkill - Sonic Reducer
Released 8-30-1985
Track Listing:
March of the S.O.D. - Sargent D and the S.O.D. - Kill Yourself - Milano Mosh
Speak English or Die - United Forces - Chromatic Death - Pi Alpha Nu
Anti-Procrastination Song - What’s That Noise - Freddy Krueger - Milk
Pre-menstrual Princess Blues - Pussy Whipped - Fist Banging Mania - No Turning Back
Fuck the Middle East - Douche Crew - Hey Gordy!
Ballad of Jimi Hendrix - Diamonds and Rust (Extended Version)
Released 4-21-1987
Track Listing:
Over the Wall - The Haunting
Burnt Offerings - Raging Waters
C.O.T.L.O.D. (Curse of the Legions of Death)
First Strike is Deadly - Do Or Die
Alone In The Dark - Apocalyptic City
Released 4-27-1987
Track Listing:
Rock Soldiers - Breakout
Into the Night - Something Moved
We Got Your Rock - Love Me Right
Calling to You - Dolls
Stranger in a Strange Land - Fractured Too
Released 1987
Track Listing:
Aren’t You Hungry - Get a Real Job - I Executioner - Don’t Feed the Bears
Ballad of Dio - Thrash or be Thrashed - Let Me Out - Bubble Butt - You’re Beat
Bushwackateas - Man of Your Dreams - That Noise - Dead Men/Most/Captain Crunch
Jim Gordon - Imported Society - Spandex Enormity - Short But Sweet
Parents - Confusion/You’re X’ed - A.I.D.S. - Ruptured Nuptuals
Ode to Harry - Hate Tank
Released 3-28-1988
Track Listing:
In the New Age - Goldilox
Power of Love - Wonder
Sometimes - King
What is This? - Far, Far Away
Shot of Love - Visions
Released 1990
Track Listing:
I Profit - Officer Nice
Subterfuge - Engulfed by Flames
Would in a World - Mentally Afflicted
Liquid Courage - Oppressing the Masses
Released 1993
Track Listing:
Fire in the Kitchen - Kiss Tomorrow Good-Bye
Movers and Shakers - I’ll Be the One - Blue Radio
Invisible - Sister Justice
Angel City - Tattoos and Cigarettes
Power and the Glory - Broken Promised Land
Released 10-24-2000
Track Listing:
Stand Up and Shout (Dio) - Eat the Rich (Krokus
Stay Hungry (Twisted Sister) - The Prisoner (Iron Maiden)
Live Wire (Motley Crue) - End of Days
Over the Mountain (Ozzy) - Blackout (Scorpions)
Feel the Burn - Riding on the Wind (Judas Priest)
Released 2002
Track Listing:
Who Wants to Rock? - Pure Rock Fury - Sea of Destruction
Immortal - Careful with That Mic… - Impetus
El Jefe - Rock and Roll Outlaw - 12oz. Epilogue
Big News I - Big News II - Brazenhead
The Soapmakers - Escape from the Prison Planet - Rats
Released 5-2-2006
Track Listing:
Rio Grande Blood - Senor Peligro
Gangreen - Fear (Is Big Business)
LiesLiesLies - The Great Satan
Yellow Cake - Palestina
Ass Clown - Khyber Pass
Sgt. Major Redux
Released 9-15-2009
Track Listing:
Burned Bridges - The Chair - Decadance
Young Man - Method - Behind the Sun
Bless Those (Little Annie’s Prayer) - Hard Times
That’s What You Taught Me - Out of My Mind - Not Tomorrow
(4 minutes, 33 seconds of silence) - Asshole
Released 9-6-2011
Track Listing Disc 1:
Gutter Town - Day By Day - Riding the Wave - Don’t Ya Wanna - Ray Lawrence Jr.
The Devil’s Movin’ In - Time to Die - Troppers Hollar - Outlaw Convention
Cunt of a Bitch - Ghost to a Ghost
Track Listing Disc 2:
Goin’ to Gutter Town - Gutter Stomp - The Dirt Road - Musha’s - The Dream of Before
Dyin’ Day - I Promised - Chord of the Organ - Move Them Songs - The Low Line
I’ll Be Gone - Troppers Chaos - Chaos Queen - Thunderpain - Fadin’ Mood
The Round - I’ll Save My Tears - It’s Goin’ Down - With the Ship
Released 9-27-2011
Track Listing:
T-Bone Shuffle - Further On Up the Road
Done Somebody Wrong - Got My Mojo Working
Last Night - Maybellene - Bright Lights, Big City
Honky Tonk - Dust My Broom
Short Fat Fannie - Come Back Baby
Released 10-24-2011
Track Listing:
Shattered Dreams - Just Your Fool - Early in the Mornin’
Romance in the Dark - How Blue Can You Get
Down Don’t Bother Me - Down So Long - Crossroads
I Will Follow - Don’t Cry No More
She Bop - Mother Earth
Change of Heart - Girls Just Want to have Fun
Released 1-20-2015
Track Listing:
Stonemilker - Lionsong
History of Touches - Black Lake
Family - Notget - Atom Dance
Mouth Mantra - Quicksand
(00:00): #longintro/the spirit of Lee Ving asks a question/#chafecore
(02:18): Metal Nerdery remembers (?) Barry Manilow (!?!?) in his later years/WHAT’S THAT NOISE!?/Method of Destruction – M.O.D. (The Hate Tank)
(03:50): Megaforce Records and the Thrash Movement/#enjoythetease
(06:36): 1982: John and Marsha Zazula and Metallica/Megaforce still putting out incredible thrash
(11:44): early acts: EXCITER! /(#makeitbigger) Raven, Mercyful Fate (and a tangentional round about)/Metallica Whiplash EP (and a Metal Nerdery Salute)/Camelot or Record Bar?
(15:42): Raven: the next big thing?/#schnick
(19:20): Mercyful Fate (Melissa): the story of the theft of “Melissa”/America’s answer to NWOBHM/The answer is (Dick Dastardly and) MUTTLEY
(22:40): The band that is Black Sabbath’s fault/#metalnerderymancloth/Manowar and furboots
(25:00): Anthrax (Soldiers of Metal/Howling Furies) Neil Turbin’s “metal” armwear
(27:11): Blue Cheer/(#birththroesofmetal/(and finally, a moment of true “backshadowing”)/ Overkill (Feel the Fire) “Hammerhead” /#thezazulasareablessing
(32:00): Stormtroopers of Death (S.O.D.) – Speak English or Die and the “Fun” factor of Metal (Pi Alpha Nu…MOSH!!!)/who’s McMahan? (And is he any relation to Bart?)
(35:35): Testament “The Legacy” (www.metalnerdery.com/podcast): check out MN episode #022 /#theageofdiscovery
(39:00): Frehley’s Comet (Ace Frehley and a “non-compete” clause!?)/Eddie Trunk’s involvement with Ace and Jonny Z/”Rock Soldiers”/#acesfishfaces
(45:10): Method of Destruction – M.O.D. (Bushwhackateas, The Ballad of Dio (Look out!), The Hate Tank)
(48:14): Kings X (also a power trio…blessed by the power of NOT Satan)/Dogman (Metal Nerdery recommends this album as a candidate for #cantbeloudenough)
(51:38): Vio-Lence “Oppressing the Masses” (WREKage Benefit)/Subterfuge
(54:21): Warren Haynes (The Allman Brothers)/The label vs the style/Fozzy (shout out to Rich Ward- ATL!)/cover albums should contain deeper cuts/Stuck Mojo’s Gwinnett Place Mall In-store appearance (#LOUDASFUCK)
(58:52): Clutch “Live at the Googolplex” (Brazenhead, Pure Rock Fury)/#brazenbeard
(1:02:15): Ministry “Rio Grande Blood” (Assclown)/Living Colour (#asshell)/Hank III – double album; ½ heavy and ½ country. (#softintro) “It’s about to get loud, fast and heavy…”
(1:06:55): Johnny Winter and the spirit of Megaforce Records/Marsha Z just wants to have metal/the beautiful bizarreness of Bjork (Iceland…GOODNIGHT!)/Continue to spread the wordery about Metal Nerdery!
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